Epidemic
by ThatNintendoFangirl
Summary: AU:Newly-weds Mario and Peach finally found a place to settle down and live out their lives together. After the years of barely making it in the city, the quiet, rural town seems like the perfect change…that is until a sickness begins to spread. The worst part is, it has no name, no cure, and the government gives no mercy to those who are unfortunate enough to contract the illness.


_**A/N: **__June 3__rd__, 2012. Let's get this on the road! Hi again everyone. Nothing to see here, just me trying to make a decent somewhat scary story for the summer and fall. C: This is slightly based off of the remake of the 1973 horror film ;"The Crazies"_

_**AU: **__Alternate-Universe :P_

_**Warning:**__ Contains mature themes, language, gore, and character death. _

_Enjoy! ;3_

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x.x.x.x

_**Prologue: Two Years Earlier**_

Mario looked at the papers in his hand with a sense of victory. Knowing the fact that finally the two of them could get off to a better start and a clean slate was a breath of fresh air. Even with his experience through the years, the city that they were in never gave him a break. The traffic, the small pay, the endless days…no wonder his brother took off at the first chance from the life. He was young, yes..but Mario bitterly admitted that he was smart enough to know that the metropolitan area had nothing to offer for him and his new girlfriend. At first he thought he was just looking for a new adventure when he announced he was moving to the middle of nowhere a year ago, but when the older brother was laid off from his job as a plumber not too long after...he couldn't help but to think that possibly he gained some intuition from their mother.

It was a crazy thought..to move from the bustling city with its endless subways tunnels, multiple shops, banks, and the place where supposedly opportunity was everywhere to the breadbasket of the country. To a town with a population of barely a thousand people… where everyone knew everything that happened at almost the same time..where everyone was family. That's what attracted Mario to the place. He was indeed a people person. He enjoyed helping out whenever he could, and so did Peach, being a part-time nurse at the hospital.

Upon visiting his younger brother not too long after he moved, they knew that it was also the perfect place to raise a family. Where they could learn morals and values and hard work. Where they could have a childhood and be safe as well. Their children wouldn't have to worry about conmen, dark alleyways, being cheated, hurt, or any of that stuff. It was a safe-haven.

Sure, it was a longways from Brooklyn where his mother and father still lived in an apartment paycheck to paycheck, but he and his brother promised to visit any time they could. Mario made the same promise to Peach's parents who were not as open to the idea of moving to a rural area. They believed that their grandchild (that they were planning to have) shouldn't grow up somewhere that had only so much to offer. But that didn't deter them from doing so anyway.

He looked away from the papers that granted him his new position, fished in his pocket for the keys that were given to him by the realtor, and opened the door to the white two-story home they purchased after years of saving a penny here and a dollar there. The down payment landed the newly-weds with a high-mortgage, but that didn't matter. His new job would take care of that in no time. Both of their jobs, actually. The fact that both of them so happened to get hired for the highest-paying jobs in the Willowbury County was more than a convenience; it was a blessing. It was a modest place on an average plot of land. Already, there was a rocking chair placed on the front porch as well as a tall green plant that had a couple of cards taped to the drooping leaves.

The tall blonde woman behind the ex-plumber noticed that there were hardly any plants in sight. She took note that as soon as they got settled in, she would go straight to the nearest store to pick up some more potted plants to spruce up the place a bit more. It looked so dull; she had to make her home brighter. The possibilities were endless on what she could do to the place.

"Well, Peachy..we're home," Mario smiled as he walked into the house to be greeted by the numerous boxes waiting to be unpacked on the wooden floors. That was another bonus to the place. The house itself was a fixer-upper, but the small things like the fireplace and the floors that only needed a bit of waxing to get back to its original state made up for it.

"Heh, yeah. Oh boy, that was the longest drive I've ever been on!" she wiped the sweat off her forehead and pushed her golden bangs out of way of her face, "Mario, it's scorching out there..thank god for the air conditioner.."

He placed the keys and the papers on a small table next to the door after shutting it. All of their furniture was covered in white sheets in the downstairs. Promptly, he pulled off the white sheet covering their sofa..and collapsed onto it with a huge groan, "Mama mia...I'm so tired.." he mumbled, rolling onto his back.

Peach went over to uncover the rest of their furniture, "Well if you didn't take that wrong turn back there.." she stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Well, my amazing fratello didn't bother to give me directions, okay?" Mario kicked off his shoes, "We're lucky that I even remembered how to get here."

"You mean _you're _lucky that I know how to read a map!" she teased, "Next time, I'm driving."

"Oh, no you're not!" Mario got off the couch, "Besides…we're staying right here..just you and me."

"Yeah, honey.." Peach looked at the walls, "Just you and me..and-"

The doorbell rang.

The two exchanged confused looks. No one knew their address yet except..

"_**Bro, it's me!" **_a voice from the other side of the door called.

Mario tugged at his red cap, not fazed by his younger brother's uncanny timing, "Geez, Weegie! We haven't even been here for ten minutes!"

Peach put down the box and dusted her hands as the door opened. The younger brother of Mario came in sporting a pair of blue-jean overalls that smelled of gas and oil and a green t-shirt. His blue eyes seemed to light up when he saw his twin, "Well, I wasn't going to just let you and your girl unpack all by yourselves," he grinned, "I would've beat you guys here, but I was just fixing up the last car for the day."

"The last car EVER I might add!" a young woman wearing a yellow tank suddenly burst through the door and hugged the tall man from behind, "Did he tell you, did he tell you-! _**TOADSTOOL!"**_

"Oh my god, Daisy? !" Peach poked her head around to see the brunette squeal with excitement, rush over and squeeze her tight. The two girls were elated, "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"I know!"

Mario raised an eyebrow, "Tell me what?"

Daisy let go of Peach for a second, "Well, not too long ago the only deputy in this town up and left to Cummingham. Right after that, the dang sheriff said he was ready to quit too!"

"And?"

"Well, before the deputy left they had this small election thing in city hall few days ago," Luigi ruffled his already messy hair, "And..well, they couldn't go a day without one really so I kinda stepped up for it."

Mario's eyes widened, "You're kidding me..that means.."

"Congratulations, Luigi!" Peach smiled, "I know you'll be great at it."

"_Oh, don't shoot me, officer~!" _Daisy giggled and wrapped her arms around Luigi's neck, "Yep! The deputy of Willowbury is my Louie~"

Mario looked at the papers on the table, then back to his brother, "Luigi, we're gonna be working together…again," he added lightly.

It was his turn to be confused, "What? What do you mean?"

Daisy detached herself from Luigi and leaned against the door.

"I got… appointed town sheriff.." Mario said, sheepishly. He didn't know that Luigi had the experience to become a policeman, but then again, it was a small town. Not much happened around there as far as they knew besides a couple of public incidents every blue moon. That was probably why only a couple of interviews and a quick election was all that it took to give him the badge even before he moved there.

Luigi heard the caution in his voice. He wasn't sure as to why he suddenly got quiet. He smiled and hugged his brother, to Mario's surprise "That's great bro! Looks like we'll have plenty of time to catch up while we're fighting crime together, haha!"

Mario let out a silent sigh of relief as he hugged his younger brother back, "I missed you, Weegie. It was pretty quiet without your in-shower concerts back on 12th Avenue," he said, jokingly.

"Hey! I thought you wouldn't bring that up anymore-"

"You can sing, Lou?" Daisy gave a playful smirk as Luigi rolled his eyes and let go of Mario.

"I've heard him before," Peach said over her shoulder while she picked up a couple of small boxes, "Now come on inside! You're letting the all of the air out!"

The four of them made their way inside the house, closing the screen and the door behind. Luigi assured that you didn't even have to lock it. No one bothered with anyone. You could leave the screen door open on a hot summer's night (and there would be plenty of those) without a worry in the world that someone would try and break in.

Luigi Mario was working as a mechanic in the town's auto-repair shop a few miles away from where his brother and his new wife were staying. Daisy, his childhood friend and long-time girlfriend of a two years and four months got a day job as a waitress and was currently working part-time at the local bar. Her parents also happened to live in Willowbury; they worked as farmers, Jack and Rose Sarasa. After they moved, Luigi came by periodically on the farm to fix up a few things..to impress her parents of course. As they were unpacking, Peach asked where the two were staying. They lived in a small house about ten miles away downtown.

Mario never thought that all four of them would end up moving together and stay in contact with each other after years and years. It seemed like at that point their fate was set. A new life in a new place with new faces. After a few hours of running up and down the stairwell, putting items in their correct place, laughing harder than they had in years, it seemed as if it couldn't get any better.

The day was done, but Mario turned in early, knowing that a task was laid out for him; a huge one.

But...he never suspected anything like this.

x.x.x.x

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_**A/N: **__Got lazy at the end._

_Sorry. And its pretty slow in the beginning, I know. -;_

_-TNFG_


End file.
